Online poker players were left frustrated and disappointed on Thursday when two major platforms, Partypoker and BetMGM, were impacted by a global outage caused by cybersecurity company CrowdStrike.
The outage, which lasted for several hours, affected thousands of players who were in the middle of intense games and tournaments. Many players took to social media to express their frustration, with some calling the situation a “nightmare” and others demanding compensation for the inconvenience.
Partypoker, one of the largest online poker rooms in the world, issued a statement on Twitter acknowledging the outage and apologizing to its customers. The company assured players that their funds and personal information were secure and that they were working to resolve the issue as quickly as possible.
BetMGM, another popular online poker room, also confirmed the outage and assured players that they were doing everything they could to restore service. The company apologized for the disruption and promised to keep players updated on the situation.
CrowdStrike, the cybersecurity company responsible for the outage, released a statement blaming a technical issue for the disruption. The company said that they were working to fix the problem and restore service to all affected platforms.
The outage comes at a particularly bad time for online poker players, as many are currently participating in major tournaments with large prize pools. Some players expressed concern that the outage could affect their chances of winning big money or qualifying for prestigious events.
Despite the frustration and disappointment caused by the outage, many players praised Partypoker and BetMGM for their transparency and communication throughout the ordeal. Some players even expressed sympathy for CrowdStrike, understanding that technical issues can happen to any company.
As online poker rooms continue to grow in popularity, incidents like this serve as a reminder of the importance of robust cybersecurity measures and contingency plans. Players are advised to regularly back up their data and keep their devices and software up to date to minimize the risk of disruptions.
In the end, the outage was resolved and service was restored to Partypoker and BetMGM, allowing players to return to their games and tournaments. While the incident may have been frustrating in the moment, it ultimately serves as a valuable learning experience for both players and online poker platforms.
